Overall National Security Concept

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the new national security concept put forward by the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core in response to the comprehensive, complex and severe internal and external challenges facing China’s security is a general security concept based on the new security concept and the fundamental thought to guide national security work in the new situation. The basic content is: adhering to the principle that national interests come first, human security is the ultimate concern, political security is of overarching importance, economic security underpins all other considerations, security in military, cultural and social perspectives reinforces efforts in other areas, and the promotion of international security provides support for measures taken in a national context. We should focus on external and internal security, homeland security and the security of our citizens, traditional and non-traditional security, national security and international security, improve the national security system, strengthen national security capacity building, and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests, Along this line of thinking we are setting out to build a national security system with Chinese characteristics. Security is the lifeblood of a country, and the concept of security concerns the prosperity and decline of the nation. The country’s security needs and security outlook evolve over time. We should ensure both development and security and be ever ready to protect against potential dangers in time of peace. This is a major principle underlying the CPC's governance. The proposal of a holistic view of national security focuses on the security situation and security needs of contemporary China and has a profound domestic and foreign background. From the perspective of the external environment, the international balance of power has changed profoundly and is changing in a direction conducive to peace and development. From the perspective of the stage characteristics of China's development, China has never been closer to the center of the world stage and closer to the goal of achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and has unprecedented ability and confidence to achieve this goal. Judging from the threats to national security, the resistance and pressure in the advancement of development are increasing, the surrounding security risks are accumulating, and the maritime security threats are becoming increasingly prominent. The possibility of chaotic state and even battle in the border is increasing, and there is a real danger of “color revolution” in the ideological field.

The above strategic environment and national conditions require the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government to innovate the concepts, systems and policies of national security in an all-round way and embark on a path to national security with Chinese characteristics.

On April 15, 2014, at the first meeting of the National Security Council, Xi Jinping put forward a holistic view of national security for the first time. In October 2017, in the report of the 19th CPC National Congress, Xi Jinping further improved and enriched the holistic view of national security, raising it to the height of one of the 14 basic strategies for upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era. A holistic view of national security is rich in connotation and broad in extension. In terms of specific content, a holistic view of national security involves national security, including political security, homeland security, military security, economic security, cultural security, social security, scientific and technological security, information security, ecological security, resource security, nuclear security, etc. A holistic view of national security integrates all these 11 contents. From a system perspective, national security is a combination of external security and internal security, homeland security and national security, traditional security and non-traditional security, security issues and development issues. A holistic view of national security is a common security view that includes the security of one's own country and the security of other countries, and an overall security view that includes man and nature security as well as national and international security. A holistic view of national security, in a broad sense, in addition to the above-mentioned security views, also includes path security, system security, working methods, and security goals. A holistic view of national security adheres to a national security path with Chinese characteristics, without following the old path of security expansion in Western history, without repeating historical security tragedies such as the “Thucydides trap”, and seeks to achieve confidence in its path and sustainable development in the field of security. Therefore, internally, it is essential to promote development, continue reform, maintain stability, and create a safe environment. Externally, we should promote international peace, seek cooperation and mutual benefit, and strive to bring harmony to the world. All initiatives taken in this respect will be people-centered, and implemented for the people, on the basis of the people's needs, and with the support of the people, truly consolidating the mass foundation of national security. It is essential that we properly deal with the relationship between security and development. Development provides a basis for security, whereas security constitutes a necessary condition for development. Only a prosperous country can build a strong military, and only a strong military can defend our country.

The establishment of the National Security Council and the revision of the National Security Law are two important measures for the reform of the national security system. In November, 2013, the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee decided to establish the National Security Committee, which was formally established in January 2014. Its purpose is to better adapt to the new situation and tasks with which our country's national security is faced, establish a centralized, unified, efficient and authoritative national security system, and strengthen the overall coordination and leadership of national security work. The establishment of the National Security Council can integrate the various forces of external national security and internal national security, fully reflects the organic unity of maintaining national security and innovating social governance and effectively prevents and resolves social conflicts. It is beneficial to the coordinated development of economic construction and national defense construction, promoting the in-depth development of military-civilian integration. It shows that the central leadership group has a clear and scientific thinking on national security strategies.The Fourth Plenary Session of the Eighteenth Central Committee of the Party put forward clear requirements for the establishment of a national security legal system. The 15th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 12th National People's Congress passed the new National Security Law, which was implemented on July 1, 2015, thus ending our country’s lack of comprehensive national security legislation. This law is based on the basic national conditions of our country, draws on the useful experience of foreign countries, establishes the guiding ideological status of a holistic view of national security, and makes a legislative definition of national security. National security refers to the status that national power, sovereignty and territorial integrity, people’s wellbeing, sustainable economic and social development, and other major national interests are relatively safe and free from internal and external threats, as well as the ability to ensure continuous security. The law has established a centralized, unified, efficient and authoritative national security leadership with the Central National Security Council as the core, clarifying the leadership of the Party, which is very necessary for safeguarding national security, giving play to the Party’s role in overseeing the overall situation and coordinating all parties, especially in coordinating responses to internal and external security threats and improving decision-making efficiency and authority. A holistic view of national security has inherited and developed our Party’s national security view and opened up a new realm of Chinese Marxist security view. The goal of a holistic view of national security is to create “a community with a shared future” for national security.

The new human security view of “ We are safe when you are safe” attaches importance to both national security and common security, establishing a new security mindset that humans share a common homeland and share weal and woe, which will help promote the mutual benefit and the goal of mutual security of all parties in the international community. The modernization of national security governance is an important part of the modernization of the national governance system. The introduction and implementation of the holistic national security view has made a major step forward in the modernization of China’s national security governance and is a major leap in the modernization of our country’s national governance system.